The Casanova of the Opera
by Snowstar
Summary: The phantom of the opera with a little casanovatwist....
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hello my darlings! I know that some of you longs for another chap' for "The secret garden" it's on it's way, be patient with me. However this is something that has been in my head for a few days, it took some time to reconsider but I think it actually works, those of you that have seen the movie "Casanova" will enjoy this I hope, and those of you who hasn't too.

"What shall we do, Firmin, what shall we do?" a very frustrated Andre asked pacing up and down the grand stair, the sweat was pearling down his temples. Once again HE had conquered another chorus girl, the phantom of the opera, the man who every woman in the opera house was talking of and of his skills in the bed. The man who knew the art of seducing so well that even deaf and blind women fell for him.

"I don't know, but something must be done, the female part of our staff are having trouble concentrating during the rehearsals" Firmin answered, every day girl after girl would come out from the dormitories wearing love-bites on their necks and bosoms. The legend of the amorous Phantom had increased so much that women from all over Paris gathered around the opera-house every day just to catch a glimpse of him.

"Think of our reputation! The scandals! The entire theatre has turned into a brothel."

"Yes, but you will be pleased to know that our brothel is selling tickets" Firmin announced.

"I know but the audience, at least the womanly part of it, comes for the phantom more than the performances."

"Well, we have guard's placed all over the house, yet he still manages to escape them. We don't even know his real name or what he looks like, he wears a mask, for God's sake!"

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be at this hour?" Firmin asked, it was only nine in the morning. Opening the door, they were greeted by a bunch of nuns.

"It's time for the Sunday preach, gentlemen" one of them said.

"Sunday was yesterday, sister, today it's Monday." The entire group of nuns blushed. "We're sorry, sister's, but there will be no meeting with the phantom today." The nuns just walked past the manager's and into the building, determined to find the phantom.

In another part of the theatre a very sated man rose from another glorious hour in bed with a woman who had been new to her resent experience.

"Have I disappointed you?" he asked, raising one eyebrow, making her melt.

"You could never" she responded breathless from the sensation and grabbed him by the neck, planting her lips against his burning ones.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps, running, was heard from the corridor outside the room. He released himself from her firm grip.

"The guards! I must bid you farewell, my dear." He started to dress quickly, pulling on his black trousers and white shirt and gathered the rest of his attire under his arm. Before he reached the door he could feel his latest experience grab his arm, turning him towards her.

"Tell me I'm the only one" she pleaded.

"You're the only one" he said as he had said hundreds of times before. Stepping out from the room, he turned around and found a new pair of lips and over his own, belonging to a nun.

"I found you before the others" she said triumphantly "tell me you'll never forget me."

"I'll never forget you" he said and started running down the corridor. All the doors opened up as he ran and all the women that looked out shouted after him, he turned around and blew them a kiss. Seeing the guards appear at the end of the room he turned to the other direction only to find guards at that part too. Locking to his left he saw his escape, the windows. Climbing out, he saw a large crowd of women on the ground beneath him, calling after him, he started to climb down, slowly but surely, till only five feet remained from the ground.

"There he is!" a voice, coming from a window right beside him, shouted. "Get him!" another one said. Swallowing thickly, Erik released his hold of the building and jumped down into the arms of the women below who caught him and putted him on the ground safely. Erik turned around to see the guards making their way out of the windows too, jumping down, the crowd separated itself from it's former position and the guards landed on the firm ground. Seeing them whimpering in pain, Erik smiled and jumped up on his horse, by the time he was up he noticed that the pockets on his coat and his trousers were stuffed with tissues and letters...again. Chuckling he rode off.

He soon reached his destination and knocked on the door. A very small man with a middle-eastern appearance opened.

"Another night, as every night" he said looking at the man in the mask. Erik only smiled and stepped inside.

"Have we had any visitors, Nadir?" ha asked as he rid himself of all the tissues that occupied the greater half of himself.

"The butcher and the tailor" he mumbled as he gathered all the letters that fell from Erik's coat. "You know we will never have to buy any wood for the fireplace any more, all your letters will be enough to keep us warm, sir."

"Nadir, take out some clean clothes for me I'm going back to the operahouse later."

"Again, sir? You spend more time there than here, sometimes I wonder why you insist on keeping this place, you still have your lair beneath the theatre."

"Yes. But I am being followed every morning by those wolfs who are disguised as guards, they would follow me down there for sure and my safety would be gone forever."

"Ah yes, those guards are hunting you more than the women. I must say that you never cease to impress me, sir" the Persian said as he started to pull out fresh clothes from his masters closet.

"You should be, all of those morons at the university always told me that I would never be anything because of my face, well today everybody are wearing masks. I believe the Venetians almost have a too big influence at the society."

"A relief for you, master, you should be thankful for the Venetians. However I have noticed that more and more men are walking around pretending to be you, wearing the same mask."

"Wonderful, then I can walk around safely" he sighed as he started to undress, a bath had been prepare for him. "If only my mother could have seen me now" he said dreamily as he stepped in.

"She must be turning in her grave."

"On the contrary, my friend, my mother was a very caring and loving woman. She wanted me to be everything that I could be."

"I don't think she meant everything that is occupying every woman in Paris's thoughts."

Erik smiled as he stepped out of the bath and started to dry himself off.

"I don't understand why you don't get married and settle yourself down peacefully, satisfying yourself with one woman only and stop sneaking around in the operahouse as the phantom, that you have now turned out to be, and make love to all these women heartlessly."

"You misunderstand me, my friend, I don't make love heartlessly" Nadir's eyebrows came together in a misunderstanding frown. "I just don't make love to them wholeheartedly."

Sighing, Nadir helped his master get dressed. "Well you do it enough to make them believe that it is wholeheartedly. You have never fallen in love, have you, sir? You must stop with all these lies that you are filling their heads with too."

Erik raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Funny, Nadir, because I have always loved truth so passionately that I have often resorted to lying as a way of introducing it into the minds which were ignorant of it's charms."

Nadir shook his head smiling, his master had smarted him out again. Dressed and done, they made their way out of the house.

"To answer your earlier question, Nadir, I can't leave my lair and the operahouse, music is my life, without it I would be destroyed."

"I know, have you started with anything new, sir?"

Erik's face brightened up once more, one of the most beautiful melodies had come to him last night as he had heard a new voice, purer than an angel's, sing last night on the stage. Her face had escaped him but her name had not, but her voice had touched his heart deeper than anything had done before. No matter what his friend thought, he was a man that longed for pure, unselfish love and hoped to be married one day.

"Yes, a duet, it came to me last night."

"Before your latest conquering?"

"You're wrong again, my friend, I don't conquer, I..."

"Submit." Nadir finished the sentence for him. "Yes, I know."

"Good, but until we move further with other things we have some plotting to do."

"What kind of this time?"

"We have to find information about a special young lady named Christine Daáe."

Author's note: Like it? Hate it? Let me now, 0)


	2. Chapter 2

"Christine, aren't you excited, at least? I mean he is your husband!" the blonde ballerina squealed in delight as she asked the brunette who were busy with trying to get her hair in place.

"Fiancée not husband, Meg" she answered, irritated. "And no I'm not excited, I'm being married of to a person I have never met in my entire life, how would you feel!" She turned her head from the mirror to look at her younger friend who's cheeks were flushed and eyes were dazed. Shaking her head, Christine realised that there was no chance in the world that Meg would change her mind. The door opened and the woman who was Meg's mother and Christine's foster-mother entered.

"What's all the noise in here?" she asked and stood behind her foster-daughter to help her with her hair.

"Christine is not excited at all to be married!" Meg teased.

"Be quiet, you silly thing!" Christine barked back.

"Hush, please both of you! It's only nine o'clock in the morning and you to are already shouting enough for the three of us. Your fiancée will be arriving in less than a fortnight and we'll all expect you to be welcoming him with a smile on your face." Moving away from the brunette she approached the blonde who turned her back on her mother so her laces could tied in her corset.

"But I don't want to marry him, I'll be damned if I do!" she said pleadingly.

"We'll be damned if you don't. Every woman has to have a husband once in her lifetime. You can't sing or dance you entire life, Christine. And you have to stop with that feministic preaching of yours, I have received more complaints from the teachers at the university."

"Oh, please they need to know that women are more then skirts and pretty faces."

"Yes, that maybe, however we all know that a woman showing her face inside a university is highly illegal ."

Sighing she stood up from her chair and helped her mother. "But why can't women have any thought's of their own? Why must we always live up to the men's expectations, mother?"

"We simply have to live that way, that's all" she responded.

"Then why can't Meg have him instead if it's that important?"

"Because you're the oldest, my darling, and that is the way it has to be. Meanwhile why are you so sour? You'll have a rich man and a strong roof above your head and you will be taking place in the society as vicomtess de Chagny."

"Maybe the phantom has already won her heart" Meg laughed.

"Quiet, Meg! Seriously, child. What more do you ask for?"

Christine looked down for a minute and took a deep breath before looking up again.

"Love. I would at least like to know my future husband before I agree to marry him."

"Oh, such nonsense, do you think I knew my husband before I married him?" With that said she went out and left the girls alone.

"Oh, Christine, you've always been the sister I never really had, tell me have you met the phantom, I heard he satisfied at least five girls this night."

"That barbarian! No I haven't and I hope I never will!" The mere thought of that savage made her skin crawl. If the phantom felt that he must seduce women every day then something must be missing in his life, true love perhaps?

"Al right, but you seem so lost in thoughts these days and you sneak out from the theatre every day. I think I know your secret."

Christine's face immediately jerked up and she held her breath.

"What?" she asked, slightly feared.

"Ah, see that tells me everything" Meg said and moved toward the door and turned around to face her stunned foster-sister. "You have a secret lover." Christine exhaled and shook her head, smiling. Meg had always been so naive and childish.

"Well don't tell" she said ironically as Meg left the room. Sitting down, she picked up paper and ink and started writing as she always did when she had her privacy.

---------------------------- 

At another part of the town, two men made their way toward the operahouse.

"Christine Daáe, you said? Wasn't she a member of the ballet?"

"That and Antoinette Giry's foster-daughter, I've never laid eyes on her before." They made their way through the Ruse Scribe and was soon five cellars floors beneath the stage.

"So, this is your latest?" Nadir asked, nodded toward the paper that was leaning against the organ. Erik nodded.

"Marvellous" he said as he peered through it. Later a voice was heard from above their heads.

"And that's our Mademoiselle Daáe" Erik said and they started to make their way to the boat that was partly pulled up on land.

"Shall we?" he asked and the Persian got in as Erik grabbed the pole and started rowing.

"What if she's ugly?" Nadir asked as they walked up.

"All women on earth are lovely somehow, at least."

They opened the door to box five and silently peeked out from behind the curtain that was hanging at it's side. The young girl was alone on the stage and alone in the entire room, at least she thought so. Christine was practising at the aria from act three of the night's opera, Hannibal. Nadir looked up at his master as he heard him gasp. Christine stopped singing as she heard it too.

"Dive" Erik whispered and ushered the Persian down on the floor of the box and he himself followed. Christine looked around the grand room a few times before she proceeded with her singing. Erik and Nadir took that as a sign that had been undiscovered, they looked over the edge of the balcony that was the box and continued were they had stopped.

Erik heart started to beat faster, there was an angel on the stage, singing like nothing he had ever heard before, she was perfection itself. Long dark curls fell over her shoulders and down to her waist and large brown eyes twinkled with delight as her wide, sensual mouth with it's full lips sang.

Nadir noticed the change in his masters behaviour and frowned, this was something new. Without noticing it coming, Nadir sneezed suddenly and Erik was roused from his observing as Christine was from her singing. Erik pushed the Persian out from the box and did the same. This time when Christine looked up she saw a shadow moving in box five.

"Al right, come out of there!" she called "You saw me playing Prima Donna now reveal yourself!"

Nothing was heard, after a few seconds Christine turned around and started to get back to her room, but a rustling noise made her turn her head to her former position, and there on the stage lay a red rose with a black satin ribbon tied around it. She picked it up and smelled it's fragrance, smiling she walked back to her room.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors note: Thank you for all those wonderful reviews. However I have to say this: Sadly I don't own POTO or Casanova, FUCK! But enjoy!

"Now, that was new, sir. Since when do you hide from women?" Nadir asked as they made their way down toward the lair once more.

"Only when necessary and we need to broaden our horizons" Erik responded.

"Does that mean you will be leaving at least one woman alone tonight?" the Persian raised his eyebrows in wonderment.

"Absolutely not."

"I thought so, now that would be too new and different for both of us."

"Both of us?" Erik said as he looked down at the short man next to him.

"Yes, that would mean that I would actually have to make your bed everyday."

Erik laughed and slapped his friend on the back. As they moved out into the light of the city they were greeted by the sight of mademoiselle Daáe doing the same.

"There she is!" Nadir said and pointed at her direction and Erik's face looked up, she was even more beautiful in the daylight. She was wearing a blue dress and a hooded cloak in the same colour.

"Nadir?"

"Hmm?"

"Would it be improper to follow her?"

They both drew their eyebrows together in consideration.

"No, of course not."

"No, of course not." They both said at the same time and started moving.

"That would mean some more broadening to our horizons now wouldn't it, sir?"

"Yes, most definitely, Nadir."

They followed her inside a bookstore.

"The phantom!" a lady, which Erik remembered as a chorus girl, whispered.

"Hello, my darling" he whispered back.

"I left my door unlocked last night for you."

"Oh, my dear, there are so many unlocked doors and so little time" he winked at her, making her shiver in delight.

On the tables there were some new publicans. Christine picked one up and started flipping through the pages with a smile on her face. Erik noticed and picked up one too.

"What is this?" he mumbled to himself. 'A woman's right in the society' the title said.

"By Bernard de Guard" he mumbled later, putting the book down he turned around and bumped into a woman who dropped her copy of the book. He looked down and his eyes widened at the sight, it was Christine.

"My apologies, mademoiselle" he said as he bent down to pick it up.

"It's alright, thank you very much."

"Interesting choice of literature you have there" he said and looked down on the book in her hands, his eyes sliding over her cleavage.

"Yes, I too find it very interesting, have you read anything from Bernard de Guard before, monsieur?"

"No, I can't say I have but from what I've heard he is the sort of man who wants women to be educated and be a part of the court."

"And do you see anything wrong in that, monsieur?"

"Absolutely not, but I do think that a woman should consider that doing it could bring her permanent harm."

"I see, so you are one of those men who think that all women should do is to stay in their homes, have babies and please their husbands?"

"I never said that, mademoiselle, what I mean is that women should think about the consequences that may follow, I didn't mean to offend you, I'm very sorry if I did." Christine could see that the masked man meant what he said.

"You are a very caring man, monsieur."

"And you are a very kind lady, mademoiselle...? " he said and bowed.

"Christine Daáe" she said and offered her hand which he accepted and kissed, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Charming" he said and smiled and was surprised that she seemed unmoved by the gesture, this had never happened to him before. Normally the women would gasp and their eyes would flutter.

"And you are?"

"Erik Gautier" he said as released her hand.

"I admire your unselfishness, unlike that loathsome Phantom of the opera everybody is talking about." Nadir, who was standing next to Erik, couldn't help but snigger.

"Oh, forgive me, mademoiselle, this is my assistant and servant, Nadir Khan."

"A pleasure, mademoiselle" he said as he bowed before her.

They went out of the bookstore.

"The Phantom of the opera must have a good reason for seducing women all the time, I think what he really need is true love. Bernard de Guard, the philosopher, thinks that an unhappy and wretched mind is in need for true love."

"All love is true in different ways, mademoiselle."

"Ah, you are a philosopher too? I will not debate with you if you take the side of a man who's idea of love demands a female sacrifice every day."

'A deep mind' Erik thought.

"Christine!" the voice came from the woman, who Erik recognised as Madame Giry, running towards them with her daughter after her.

"He's coming tomorrow, your fiancée" she said and waved with a letter in front of her. Christine sighed and rolled her eyes.

"She has a fiancée!" Erik whispered in panic to Nadir.

"I didn't knew" he whispered back.

"Who is this gentleman, Christine?" Antoinette asked.

"Sorry, mother, this is Erik Gautier and his servant Nadir Khan. I met them in the bookstore."

"Oh, delightful! And I see that you have bought more things written by that Bernard de Guard. She is absolutely obsessed with him, Monsieur" she smiled. Erik nodded and gave her a look that made her hand crush the letter in her hand.

"Let me introduce you to my other daughter, Meg Giry."

Meg stepped forward and bowed and offered her hand to Erik.

"I'm honoured" he said and kissed it, making her knees shake and her cheeks flush.

"How do you do that?" Nadir asked and later winced in pain as he felt his masters foot land over his own.

"If you excuse us, Monsieur Gautier, Christine and I are in a hurry. Meg don't forget the fabric and see if you can get some more paper, ours is mystically disappearing all the time." Christine's face turned red for a second since she was the source of the paper.

"No problem, Madame" Erik said as Madame Giry and Christine went inside a lady's shop and they were left with Meg.

"Nadir, go and buy some fruit?" Erik said, looking at Meg.

"Fruit? But sir?" Erik turned his face towards him and gave him a look that said all he needed to know.

"I would be delighted to buy some fruit" he said and moved away.

"May I ask, mademoiselle Giry, is your sister happy about her fiancée?"

"No" Meg said, smiling. "She's never met him before and I don't think she'll ever be happy about him. She has a secret lover."

'As if this couldn't get any worse' Erik thought.

"How do you know, mademoiselle?"

"She sneaks out of the house all the time."

"Do you know who it is?"

"No, then it wouldn't be a secret, Monsieur."

"Yes, of course. A pleasure meeting you, mademoiselle!" Meg left him and headed of to the store where her mother and foster-sister had went.

"A secret lover?" Nadir asked, shaking his master out from his thoughts.

"Shall we give up?"

"Not today, Nadir!"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for the review's, a few more wouldn't hurt though ;) This chapter is a little short.

**Mominator:** What in the world does ROTF mean? Right on the...or something?

**Lust 4 Violin: **Yes, Erik has a deformity. Did you read the first chapter properly?

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The two men stood outside the operahouse, waiting for Christine to exit.

"Master, have you fallen in love?"

"Yes, Nadir, I dare say I have. Why do you ask?"

"We have never put ourselves in this much trouble for one woman, what do we do if we get caught spying on her?"

"We do what I do best" Erik said and that made Nadir's entire face widen.

"I mean escape, please Nadir, I am capable of other things!" He shook his head but considered the words his servant had just said, true they had never done so much for just one woman. However this woman was the first one he had ever met that hadn't been showing any sign of desire, and he found that very desirable.

"So what are we supposed to do now again, sir?"

"We are going to find out who the secret lover is and figure out what makes him so special and me so easy to resist."

"There is no pleasing you, master"

Suddenly Christine emerged from the operahouse. Erik and Nadir slowly followed after, the walk from the operahouse to her destination took about ten minutes, after that she went inside a small house that was placed in an alley. The masked man and the Persian hid behind the outskirt of the alley. Seeing her walking inside, they both sighed.

"He is going to shag her senseless" Nadir said more to himself than to his master, who slapped his arm in return.

After about an hour Christine closed the door behind her and went out from the house. Erik and Nadir stood straight, moaning because of the aches in their back's they had received after leaning against the wall.

They made sure no one saw them and made their way inside the house. The door was open and they were greeted by the smell of ink and paper. On a table were two glasses of wine which had been emptied.

"I thought so" Nadir said as he saw the wineglasses. They heard someone snoring lightly and moved further inside the house to a small bedroom. Erik and Nadir peeked inside and saw a male-figure sleeping with his back facing them.

"My God! She had completely worn him off" the Persian whispered and Erik sighed, shaking his head in frustration.

"I've found his name!" Nadir said and held up a few letters he had found from the table. Erik grabbed them from him.

"Monsieur Bernard de Guard" he mumbled. "Of course, he has bewitched her heart as his literature has with her mind."

"And this must be his latest work" Nadir said and pointed at a bunch of papers that lay scattered over a desk in one of the corners.

Erik picked up one of them.

"A woman's opinion is entirely pointless to men, these days, during conversations. What a woman really longs to hear is..." he stopped and snatched a blank paper from a pile and started writing down the following sentence.

"...now I fear that I have been dominating the conversation long enough, what are your thought's on the matter?"

-------------------------------------------------------- 

"So we've figured out who the secret lover is, what are we going to do now?" Nadir asked as they entered their home.

"We're going to locate her fiancée when he arrives in the morning, don't look Nadir I have to remove my mask."

"It's not like I haven't seen your face before, sir. But if that's the way you want it I shall not." Nadir knew how important it was for his master to be with his burden alone, it was the only way he could handle it.

"Who is her fiancée again, sir?"

Erik sighed and putted his mask back on.

"The Vicomte de Chagny."


	5. Chapter 5

The following day was the same as usual. Nadir opened the door to be greeted once again by his panting, but satisfied, master.

"Been having a nice night, sir?"

"Not as nice as I hoped it would be. More than five women tonight and yet all I see is her face in front of me! She's all I bloody think about, dream about!" Erik said and drew his hands through his hair as he walked in and discarded most of his clothes on the floor.

"Really, sir? With your working hours being so late at night I never thought you would have any chance in dreaming."

"Now is not the time for jokes, Nadir! She's in my gut, in my throat, she's everywhere! And when I don't see her I hear her voice in my head" Without noticing it, Erik mask had fallen off, but he was to busy imagining Christine's angelic face that he didn't care. And neither did Nadir.

"Well I dare say, sir, that you are definitely in love. And for the first time I might add."

Erik sank down in his tub once more, cleansing of the stress from the morning.

"God! I barley made it this morning."

"You mean the guards, sir?" Erik only nodded.

"What am I supposed to do? I have one idea in mind but I very much doubt it would work."

"And what is that, sir?" Nadir asked as he prepared some tea for his master.

"Well, if I write them a letter saying that for some special amount of money I will leave them alone, what do you think they'll say about that? I mean, what would you have said?"

Nadir considered for a while.

"I would have said I can leave you alone for free, sir." Erik sighed and leaned back, letting the water enclose him.

'Hopeless' he thought.

"But speaking of money, sir, I fear we have some problems."

"Are you talking about the debts?"

"Yes, the butcher and the tailor have been here again."

"And how much do we owe?" Erik said as he climbed out of the tub.

"1000 francs, sir."

"Oh, that will be a problem" he sighed and started drying his face, noticing that the mask was missing, he smiled as he recalled that Nadir's behaviour hadn't been different from when he had it on.

"And I've spoken with a few people by the dock and they believe that the vicomte will be arriving via Seine this afternoon."

Suddenly the most brightest idea came to Erik's mind.

"Nadir, a thought just flew through my head."

"That must have been a long journey, sir."

"However, before we get on with it, I'm going out. I'll see if I can catch up with Mademoiselle Daáe once more." He started to dress and grabbed his mask, hat, cane and cloak and went for the door. Hand on the handle he turned around to face his friend.

"Tidy this place up and make it look acceptable, we are going to have some sleepovers."

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Christine was walking through the park behind Notre Dame, her heart was heavy. In a few hours her fiancée would be arriving and her freedom would be gone forever. She wished she could stand up and give the society a good piece of her mind about marrying off women to complete strangers. But she knew she couldn't upset Madame Giry like that, she was her foster-mother and everything and how many people were so kind-hearted that they took care of others children these days as she had for the past ten years. Christine felt that she owed her at least this. She had been roused from her sleep earlier than usual this morning, with the guards running after that hideous Phantom no one was able to sleep after seven o'clock.

Christine was so absorbed in her thoughts hat she didn't see when she walked right into another person. She stumbled backwards but saved from falling as she felt a strong arm enclose around her waist. Her body made contact with another one, taller and solid as a rock.

"Mademoiselle Daáe!" Christine looked up at the sound of the tender voice.

"Oh, Monsieur Gautier" she said and stood up, fixing her dress. "Forgive me" she said quite embarrassed.

"No worries, after all this isn't the first time like this" he said and released his hold around her waist reluctantly, the feeling of her body against his was embedded deep within his mind.

"No, I suppose it isn't. If you'll excuse me I have to get home."

"Are you expecting company or such?"

'I wish I wasn't' she thought. "Yes, and I have to get back now while the ballet is rehearsing, then I won't have to hear everybody chattering about the Phantom."

"Really?"

"Yes, just the thought of that ghastly thing, abusing women, makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs."

Erik frowned and followed her down the park as she started walking.

"Have you ever thought, dear Mademoiselle, that this Phantom maybe doesn't entertain these women against their will. That they are able to say no if they don't want to."

Christine sighed. "That maybe, but still women doesn't have very much freedom when it comes to men."

"I highly think that's improper, women and men should be treated as equals, then maybe the society would work much better. And people would be happier"

Christine turned her head and looked at him.

"Do you really think so?" she asked, her eyes wide with wonderment.

"I do, however it would be difficult, for men, but trying wouldn't do any harm. Even I know that women have minds of their own. I know your kind mademoiselle, you're one of those who wants women to be treated with more respect, and I happen to agree with you. And if I'm right, you long for a man who would love you and you alone. However, with that Phantom, that seems to be impossible these days."

Christine stared at him, she had only met him once and the man already seemed to know everything about her. Erik understood that he had her were he wanted her to be.

"However, now I fear that I have been dominating the conversation long enough, what are your thought's on the matter?"

Christine was suddenly jerked out from her thought's, she blinked a few times.

"W-what did you say?"

"What?" he asked with a pretended misunderstanding look.

"I must leave" she said and ran away from him. Erik smiled for himself. Oh yes, she was exactly were he wanted her to be.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Would you all be lambs and review...

Around two o'clock in the afternoon a very handsome boat came sailing down the Seine and pulled over and a very young man appeared. Erik and Nadir approached the boat.

"Excuse me, Monsieur le Vicomte?" Erik asked and was surprised when he heard the young man say "At your service."

'Goodness! The man is a boy!' he thought and looked at the Vicomte who couldn't be more than eighteen.

"On the contrary, I'm at your service, Vicomte."

"Really?" the Vicomte said and looked curiously at the masked man.

"Yes, I'm here to take you to your _maison._"

"Oh but I have a room waiting for me at Plaza Athenée."

"The Plaza is closed because of...of...Nadir?" Erik said in panic.

"Due to damp damage" Nadir blurted out.

"Yes, damp damage" Erik nodded in agreement.

"Al right, this is my servant: Franz" Raoul said and gestured toward a tall and very thin man.

"I see, this is my servant: Nadir" Erik said and nodded toward the very short Persian.

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A very angry Christine stormed inside the house of Bernard de Guard who was startled from his thoughts as he heard the door opening.

"Who has been here?" Christine asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"You have been showing someone my latest writing, who has been here!" she now screamed.

"No one's been here, I never show anybody anything. You come here and leave your things and get them published in my name as usual" the man stuttered out.

"Where is the latest pamphlet?"

"Over there" he said and pointed at his desk. Christine picked it up and flipped through the pages, the had not been touched since the other day when she had left them.

"Monsieur de Guard, your services are no longer required. Just publish this one then I will no longer be in any need of you" she said and left the house, slamming the door after her.

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"So this is the place that belonged to the libertine the Phantom of the opera" Raoul said as he looked around

"Yes, we got it for a very good price after the poor man was thrown out because he couldn't pay his debts" Erik said as he opened a window that Nadir had been washing only minutes ago.

"And how much was that price?" Raoul asked.

"Nadir?" Erik said.

"1500 francs, Monsieur" the Persian said and accepted a bag of coins from the Vicomte. Relief washed both over him and his master, now they would be free from their debts.

"Do I get a bath along with my 1500 francs?"

"Yes, of course, I understand that you're tired from your journey. Nadir will prepare your bath" Erik said and looked around, after the Vicomte had went off to the bathroom, and suddenly panicked.

He grabbed Nadir by the collar. "Where is his servant?" he whispered.

"He went out" Nadir whispered back.

"Went out where?"

"How am I supposed to know."

Both of them straightened up as the Vicomte came back, dressed in a robe.

"The first thing I'll do after this bath is taking a visit at my betrothed's house."

"Excellent, Monsieur" Erik said and smiled towards Raoul. Raoul turned around and stepped into the tub and sank back. As he did that, Erik and Nadir started digging through his luggage.

"What are we looking for?" Nadir whispered.

"We'll know once we find it" Erik said and soon found what he was looking for. "Letters" he mumbled and later found book. "By Bernard de Guard" he said and opened it and at the back of the front cover stood 'To Vicomte Raoul de Chagny with my hopes, Christine Daáe.'

"Even more excellent" he said and showed it to Nadir who only nodded in agreement.

"I'm very excited about meeting her" the Vicomte said from the bathroom. "I only hope she doesn't think I'm too...too...what is the word now again?"

"Childish" Nadir mumbled.

"Excuse me what did you say?" Raoul asked.

"Nothing."

Just as the Vicomte's servant returned, Erik pocketed the book he had found.

"I have just returned from the opera house and Madame Giry and Mademoiselle Daáe are expecting you for tea this afternoon."

"Al right, take out some clean clothes for me, Franz." As the servant walked in to the bathroom, to help his master, Erik turned to Nadir and started whispering.

Later Raoul came out in new clothes.

"Ah! You look fantastic, Vicomte."

"Thank you."

"Now didn't I have an errand, Nadir?" Erik asked.

"Yes you needed to go to the publisher."

"Yes! The publisher, to see how my new book is doing."

"Oh, are you a writer?" Raoul asked.

"Yes, I'm known for scribbling here and there."

"Perhaps you have heard of him, Monsieur le Vicomte, he is Bernard de Guard."

"Nadir! Hush!" Erik said and held up a finger against his lips.

"But he's our guest."

"You, you are the Bernard de Guard" the Vicomte looked completely stunned.

"Now Bernard de Guard is only a name I use for my books. You must promise not to tell anyone."

"I swear, by God, I swear" Raoul said and putted his hand over his mouth. "But you are Bernard de Guard?"

"Yes" Erik said and the Vicomte sat down.

"Is something wrong, Vicomte?" he asked later.

"I want you to help me!" Raoul nearly screamed out

"Help you with what?" Erik asked frowning.

"I am incapable of speaking with women, you see I'm like a babbling twit around them who doesn't know what to say."

"Yes, but so what, she loves you as you are" Erik sat down opposite his guest who shook his head.

"She's never seen me."

"Oh" he said and leaned back against the sofa.

"Not even a glimpse, or talked to me, I've never even written her a letter. I don't know how to talk to women. Talk me under your tutoring wing, Monsieur, and I'll pay you what ever you want, I'll pay it!"

"You want me to tutor you?" Erik asked and raised his eyebrows.

"I want you to learn me about women."

"Oh, my dear man, but you have but an hour until you must meet her."

"I'm not going, I don't want to go, you can't make me go!" the Vicomte whimpered like a baby.

"As you wish, but it will take time and you'll have to isolate yourself in this house."

"Of course, whatever you say, Maestro! I want to start right away." With that said, Erik rose from his seat and went out from the room and returned later with five books in his hands which he had purchased yesterday, all written by Bernard de Guard.

"These books says everything that you need to know about women." He said and placed them in front of the Vicomte who immediately grabbed one and started to read.

"Franz? Tell Mademoiselle Daáe that I will have to cancel our meeting today."

"That won't be necessary, I will be passing by the opera house during my walk to the publisher. Let me inform her" Erik said and a smile spread across his masked face.

Author's note: As much as I would have liked to make Raoul fat as the character, Paprizzio, in the movie 'Casanova' I couldn't...naaah I'm not that mean ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Authors note: Hello lovies! Sorry about the delay but I'm a student who has to do mortal things in school. But here is chapter seven ;)

Antoinette saw her foster-daughter fumbling with her hands as they sat in one of the grander lounges of the opera house and waited for her husband to be to appear. Her face wasn't happy and she knew that there was nothing she could do to stop this injustice.

"The vicomte de Chagny" one of the maids said and bowed before taking her leave. Antoinette and Christine rose and were both utterly shocked when they saw who was entering.

Erik's eyes found Christine's the second he stepped in and held her gaze as he bowed before the two women. Christine on the other hand was furious.

"What are you doing here?"

"I am sure that I was invited for tea" he said and smiled at their confusion.

"Mother, tell Monsieur Gautier that I am not at home" Christine said as she rose and took the tray with tea and croissants from the table and started making her way out of the lounge.

"Wait a minute, Christine! Monsieur, there must be a mistake, you see we are expecting Christine's fiancée to join us."

"Yes and here he is" Erik said and spread out his arms, referring to himself.

"What?" Christine said and frowned.

"Maybe it's time that I reveal my true self. I am Raoul the vicomte de Chagny, you fiancée."

Christine felt how her cheeks started to flush against her will.

"I don't believe you!"

"Well maybe you remember sending me this" he said and picked out a copy from one the books by Bernard de Guard. Erik smiled to himself when he saw how her eyes widened.

"I received this from you and on the back of the cover it says "To vicomte Raoul de Chagny with my hopes, Christine Daáe."

Christine felt how her entire body started to shake and before she knew it she dropped the entire tray which landed with a loud crash on the marbled floor.

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"Well I know that many young women have a hard time with arranged marriages sp I decided to keep my identity secret."

"Oh not all women are against arranged marriages" Madame Giry said with a chuckle but didn't see how Christine rolled her eyes and her face fell to the floor. Erik noticed how troubled she was and for the first time he actually cared.

"Of course I will never force my wife to do things she doesn't want to do, I know that Mademoiselle Daáe has a huge passion for music and art and if it she wants to continue with it during our marriage I won't hold her against her will."

This made Christine's face leave the floor and look up. He was serious, for the first time in weeks she felt a wave of happiness sweep through her. Was there a chance that she could actually me happy with this man?

They were suddenly interrupted when they heard the door open and Firmin and Andre along with a policeman entered. Fear took it's hold on Erik for a while but the men seemed to completely ignore the mask.

'Thanks for the Venetians' he thought to himself.

"Sorry about the intrusion but we're here to introduce chief inspector Ledoux, he comes from the best police departments of France, he and his men will be spread out across this opera house" Firmin said.

"Oh gentlemen may I introduce the vicomte de Chagny, Christine's fiancée."

"I say!" Firmin said, Erik could clearly see how the thought of money shone through his old eyes. "It's a pleasure beyond words, Monsieur le vicomte!"

"Likewise I'm sure" Erik responded. "And if it's not much trouble may I ask why you intend to stuff this building with policemen, gentlemen?" Ledoux stepped forward.

"To capture that fornicate creature who dares to call himself a man."

"The phantom?" Erik asked and raised his eyebrows more in amusement than anything else.

"Who else?" Christine mumbled.

Ledoux saw the book that Erik was still holding in his hands.

"Bernard de Guard, I see? Now that is someone who should be deprived of the name writer."

"What makes you say that?" Christine asked.

"A man that wants women to be educated and take part of the court and the university is simply mad."

"Why is that?" Christine said and felt how her blood started to boil with rage towards the police.

"Please, mademoiselle, if women should participate in the studies that goes on inside the walls of the university all the men's thoughts would be occupied with other things."

"Because they are too stupid to concentrate otherwise?" Christine asked.

"Christine!" Madame Giry scolded.

Erik smiled but saw how the eyes of the chief inspector started to point daggers at her.

"What I think my fiancée is trying to say simply is that there are women who would love to be educated as well" Erik said before Christine had time to open her mouth.

"Yes of course. Further more Bernard de Guard is another man that we are going to lay our hands on. This might upset you, Mademoiselle, but he is a plagiarist." Christine remained unmoved. "And as such he must be arrested as well as the true writer of his so called 'works' for toying with the minds of young women." This however made Christine's entire being freeze and Erik could see why.

"Not to worry, mademoiselle, my men are at his home as we speak. And now we will take our leave" he said and Andre and Firmin followed him.

The minute they had left Christine gave her excuses to Erik and told him and her foster-mother that she had to leave.

"Mademoiselle Daáe?" Erik asked her she stood by the door and took her cloak. "May I have the honour of accompanying you tomorrow at the masquerade here in the opera house?"

Christine nodded before she left.


	8. To my readers

My dearest readers,

I know that some of you have been waiting for an update when it comes to this fic'. Sorry to disappoint you but this is not it. I have had my reasons not to and truth to be told inspiration has been lacking. However last night, 22 of January -08, around midnight (Swedish time) I was simply reading the online-news as I usually do and found out to my shock that one of my favourite actors had passed away. Heath Ledger. And I later remembered that this fic' is based upon one of his movies, so in honour of his memory I am going to try to finish it before the eleventh of March. Thank you for reading

/Snowstar.


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